Method And Apparatus For Transmission Resource Allocation In Mobile Communications

ABSTRACT

Various solutions for transmission resource allocation with respect to user equipment (UE) and network apparatus in mobile communications are described. A UE may receive control information from a network apparatus. The UE may turn on a radio frequency (RF) transceiver of the UE in a part of a transmission time interval (TTI) to receive downlink data in an event that the control information indicates that the downlink data is scheduled in the TTI. The downlink data is scheduled in a part of the TTI but not in any other time interval. The time duration of the TTI may comprise 14 orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols and the part of the TTI may be configured as a mini-slot with time duration less than 14 OFDM symbols.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATION

The present disclosure claims the priority benefit of U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application No. 62/401,323, filed on 29 Sep. 2016, the content ofwhich is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure is generally related to mobile communicationsand, more particularly, to transmission resource allocation with respectto user equipment and network apparatus in mobile communications.

BACKGROUND

Unless otherwise indicated herein, approaches described in this sectionare not prior art to the claims listed below and are not admitted asprior art by inclusion in this section.

There are various well-developed and well-defined cellularcommunications technologies in telecommunications that enable wirelesscommunications using mobile terminals, or user equipment (UE). Forexample, the Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) is awell-defined and commonly used communications system, which uses timedivision multiple access (TDMA) technology, which is a multiplex accessscheme for digital radio, to send voice, video, data, and signalinginformation (such as a dialed telephone number) between mobile phonesand cell sites. The CDMA2000 is a hybrid mobile communications 2.5G/3G(generation) technology standard that uses code division multiple access(CDMA) technology. The UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System)is a 3G mobile communications system, which provides an enhanced rangeof multimedia services over the GSM system. The Long-Term Evolution(LTE), as well as its derivatives such as LTE-Advanced and LTE-AdvancedPro, is a standard for high-speed wireless communication for mobilephones and data terminals. In developing communication technologies, UEpower consumption and transmission resource allocation are importantaspects for investigation.

In traditional communication systems, downlink control signal is usedfor the network side to transmit important message to the UE sideincluding indication of the reception of downlink data. The UE needs toreceive the downlink control signal as well as the downlink datascheduled for the UE. Therefore, if the downlink control signal is notwell scheduled, the UE may need to turn on its radio frequencytransceiver to keep monitoring the downlink control signal and thepossible downlink data. It will consume significant power consumptionfor the UE to keep turning on its radio frequency transceiver or keepreceiving downlink signaling. If there is no downlink data is scheduledduring the on duration of the UE's radio frequency transceiver, the UEpower would be wasted and the power management would be inefficient.

In another aspect, how the downlink data is scheduled is also importantfor radio resource allocation and UE power consumption. After receivingand decoding the downlink control signal, the UE may need to turn on itsradio frequency transceiver to receive the downlink data if the downlinkdata is scheduled. However, if the downlink data is not well scheduled,the UE may need to turn on its radio frequency transceiver for a longtime duration for receiving the downlink data. It will consumesignificant power consumption for the UE.

Accordingly, it is important to allocate transmission data byconsidering UE power consumption and radio resource efficiency.Therefore, in developing future communication system, it is needed toprovide proper transmission resource allocation for the UE to receivedownlink data in an efficient way and reduce power consumption for powersaving.

SUMMARY

The following summary is illustrative only and is not intended to belimiting in any way. That is, the following summary is provided tointroduce concepts, highlights, benefits and advantages of the novel andnon-obvious techniques described herein. Select implementations arefurther described below in the detailed description. Thus, the followingsummary is not intended to identify essential features of the claimedsubject matter, nor is it intended for use in determining the scope ofthe claimed subject matter.

An objective of the present disclosure is to propose solutions orschemes that address the aforementioned issues with respect totransmission resource allocation with respect to user equipment andnetwork apparatus in mobile communications. In implementations inaccordance with the present disclosure, the downlink data may bescheduled in a short time duration. The user equipment may turn on itsradio frequency transceiver solely for the short time duration toreceive the downlink data and turn off its radio frequency transceiverfor the other time duration to reduce power consumption and save power.

In one aspect, a method may involve an apparatus receiving controlinformation from a network apparatus. The method may also involve theapparatus turning on a radio frequency (RF) transceiver of the apparatusin a part of a transmission time interval (TTI) to receive downlink datain an event that the control information indicates that the downlinkdata is scheduled in the TTI. The downlink data is scheduled in a partof the TTI but not in any other time interval.

In another aspect, a method may involve a network apparatustransmitting, by a processor of a network apparatus, control informationto a user equipment (UE). The method may also involve the networkapparatus scheduling downlink data in a part of a transmission timeinterval (TTI) to the UE. The control information indicates that thedownlink data is scheduled in the TTI.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the disclosure, and are incorporated in and constitutea part of the present disclosure. The drawings illustrateimplementations of the disclosure and, together with the description,serve to explain the principles of the disclosure. It is appreciablethat the drawings are not necessarily in scale as some components may beshown to be out of proportion than the size in actual implementation inorder to clearly illustrate the concept of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a diagram depicting an example scenario under schemes inaccordance with implementations of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a diagram depicting an example scenario under schemes inaccordance with implementations of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a diagram depicting an example scenario under schemes inaccordance with implementations of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a diagram depicting an example scenario under schemes inaccordance with implementations of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a diagram depicting an example scenario under schemes inaccordance with implementations of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an example communication apparatus and anexample network apparatus in accordance with an implementation of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an example process in accordance with animplementation of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of an example process in accordance with animplementation of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Detailed embodiments and implementations of the claimed subject mattersare disclosed herein. However, it shall be understood that the disclosedembodiments and implementations are merely illustrative of the claimedsubject matters which may be embodied in various forms. The presentdisclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and shouldnot be construed as limited to the exemplary embodiments andimplementations set forth herein. Rather, these exemplary embodimentsand implementations are provided so that description of the presentdisclosure is thorough and complete and will fully convey the scope ofthe present disclosure to those skilled in the art. In the descriptionbelow, details of well-known features and techniques may be omitted toavoid unnecessarily obscuring the presented embodiments andimplementations.

Overview

Implementations in accordance with the present disclosure relate tovarious techniques, methods, schemes and/or solutions pertaining totransmission resource allocation with respect to user equipment andnetwork apparatus in mobile communications. According to the presentdisclosure, a number of possible solutions may be implemented separatelyor jointly. That is, although these possible solutions may be describedbelow separately, two or more of these possible solutions may beimplemented in one combination or another.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example scenario 100 under schemes in accordancewith implementations of the present disclosure. Scenario 100 involves auser equipment (UE) and a network apparatus, which may be a part of awireless network (e.g., a LTE network, a LTE-Advanced network, aLTE-Advanced Pro network, a 5G network, a new radio network or anInternet of Things network). The network apparatus is able to transmitdownlink control information and downlink data to the UE. The UE maycomprise a radio frequency (RF) transceiver for receiving the downlinkcontrol information and the downlink data. The network apparatus may usethe downlink control information to indicate the UE to receive thedownlink data for the UE. The downlink control information may bescheduled in advance or early launched in a transmission time interval(TTI). A TTI is a scheduling unit of a communication network which maybe, for example and without limitation, a transmission sub-frame in aLTE network or a transmission slot in a 5G network. The UE may beconfigured to receive and decode the downlink control information todetermine whether there will be downlink data scheduled for the UE.

As showed in FIG. 1, the downlink control information is scheduled inthe control regions 120, 140, 160 and 180 in each TTI 110, 130, 150 and170. According to implementations of the present disclosure, firstcontrol information in a first TTI is used to indicate whether downlinkdata for the UE is scheduled in a second TTI. Specifically, the downlinkcontrol information in control region 120 of TTI 110 is used to indicatewhether downlink data for the UE is scheduled in TTI 130. The downlinkcontrol information in control region 140 of TTI 130 is used to indicatewhether downlink data for the UE is scheduled in TTI 150 and so on. TheUE may be configured to turn on its RF transceiver to receiver thedownlink control information in control region 120 and decode thedownlink control information to determine whether there will be downlinkdata scheduled in TTI 130. In an event that the downlink controlinformation indicates that the downlink data is scheduled in TTI 130,the UE may be configured to turn on its RF transceiver to receiver thedownlink data in TTI 130. In an event that the downlink controlinformation indicates that no downlink data is scheduled in TTI 130, theUE may be configured to turn off its RF transceiver in TTI 130 to reducepower consumption and save power.

Accordingly, since the control information for TTI 130 is scheduled inadvance or early launched in control region 120 of TTI 110, the UE isable to decode the control information in advance. In an event that theUE can finish the decoding of the control information before thebeginning of TTI 130, the UE is able to determine whether to turn offthe RF transceiver in TTI 130 instead of keep turning on the RFtransceiver and waiting for the decoding result of the controlinformation. It should be noted that, the UE may only turn off the RFtransceiver in the data regions of TTI 130 in an event that the UEdetermines that there is no downlink data scheduled in TTI 130, the UEmay still need to turn on the RF transceiver to receive control region140 in TTI 130.

The control information for a specific TTI is cross-TTI scheduled beforethe specific TTI. In some implementations, the control information for aspecific TTI may be scheduled before a partial TTI, a whole TTI or aplurality of TTIs in advance the specific TTI as long as the controlinformation for the specific TTI can be successfully decoded by the UEbefore the beginning of the specific TTI. How early or how many TTIs forthe control information should be cross-TTI scheduled in advance may beconfigured by higher layer signaling (e.g., radio resource control (RRC)message) or by physical layer signaling (e.g., scheduling downlinkcontrol indicator (DCI)). For example, the time duration between thecontrol information and the specific TTI may be dynamically indicated byL1 (e.g., physical layer) signaling. The time duration between thecontrol information and the specific TTI may also be configured by RRClayer without L1 indication. The time duration between the controlinformation and the specific TTI may also be configured by RRC layerwith multiple possible values and be further indicated by L1 (e.g.,physical layer) signaling with one of the multiple possible values. Thepositions of control regions may be configured by the network apparatusvia higher layer signaling. For example, the control region may beconfigured at beginning of every TTI or at middle of every TTI. Thedownlink control information may be transmitted in a physical downlinkcontrol channel (PDCCH) or an enhanced PDCCH. The downlink data may betransmitted in a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).

FIG. 2 illustrates an example scenario 200 under schemes in accordancewith implementations of the present disclosure. Scenario 200 involves aUE and a network apparatus, which may be a part of a wireless network(e.g., a LTE network, a LTE-Advanced network, a LTE-Advanced Pronetwork, a 5G network, a new radio network or an Internet of Thingsnetwork). The network apparatus is able to transmit downlink controlinformation and downlink data to the UE. The UE may comprise a RFtransceiver for receiving the downlink control information and thedownlink data. In scenario 200, the network apparatus may schedule thecontrol information for TTI 230 in control region 220 in TTI 210. Thecontrol information in control region 220 may indicate that downlinkdata 232 is scheduled in TTI 230. Downlink data 232 is transmitted in aPDSCH. After receiving control region 220 and decoding the controlinformation, the UE is able to determine the time-frequency region ofdownlink data 232. The UE may be configured to turn on the RFtransceiver in the determined time-frequency region (i.e., PDSCH) withinTTI 230 to receive downlink data 232 and turn off the RF transceiver inthe rest time to reduce power consumption and save power.

In some implementations, when the network apparatus has downlink dataassigned for the UE, the network apparatus may be configured to schedulethe downlink data in time division multiple access (TDMA) resourceallocation rather than frequency division multiple access (FDMA)resource allocation. That is, the downlink data is spanned in frequencybands within a limited time duration or a short time duration (e.g.,short TTI or short slot). Accordingly, the UE may only turn on the RFtransceiver for a limited time to receive the downlink data rather thanturn on the RF transceiver for a whole TTI duration to reduce powerconsumption and save power. As showed in FIG. 2, the UE may only turn onthe RF transceiver in the control region 220 and downlink data 232 ofTTI 230 and turn off the RF transceiver after receiving downlink data232.

Specifically, time duration of each TTI may be configured with apredetermined number of orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing(OFDM) symbols (e.g., 14 OFDM symbols or 7 OFDM symbols) based on apredetermined sub-carrier spacing (e.g., 15 kHz). Conventionally, whendownlink data is scheduled in a TTI, the downlink data will be scheduledin whole time duration of data region of the TTI. The UE needs to turnon its RF transceiver in the whole TTI for receiving the downlink data.However, according to the implementations of the present disclosure, thedownlink data may only be scheduled in a part of a TTI (i.e., in part ofthe data region). For example, the part of the TTI may be configured asa mini-slot with only 1 OFDM symbol. The downlink data may be scheduledwithin 1 OFDM symbol and may be spread in a wide range of frequencyspan. The wide range of frequency span may comprise a plurality ofsub-carriers. Accordingly, the UE may only turn on the RF transceiver inthe time duration of 1 OFDM symbol and turn off the RF transceiver inthe rest or the remaining part of the TTI without the downlink data toreduce power consumption. Such transmission resource allocation (i.e.,downlink data allocation) may be more efficiency in high-frequency band(e.g., Millimeter Wave). Since the bandwidth in high-frequency band(e.g., over 6 GHz) is greater than the bandwidth in low-frequency and isable to carry a great number of downlink data in frequency domain,scheduling downlink data in wide frequency span within short timeduration will be more efficient and may reduce UE power consumption.

In some implementations, the time duration of the mini-slot may bepredetermined or pre-configured at the UE side and the network side.Alternatively, the time duration of the mini-slot may be configured bythe network apparatus via higher layer signaling (e.g., RRC message orbroadcast message), or may be indicated by the network apparatus viaphysical layer signaling (e.g., PDCCH indication). The time duration ofthe mini-slot may comprise more than 1 OFDM symbol and less than 14 OFDMsymbols such as, for example and without limitation, 2 to 13 OFDMsymbols. The downlink data may only be schedule in prat of OFDM symbolsin one TTI.

In some implementations, the UE may be configured to turn on its RFtransceiver to monitor and receive the control information in every TTI.The control information may indicate the UE whether the downlink data isscheduled in a part of a TTI. In other implementations, each mini-slotor each partial time duration may further comprise its own controlregion. The UE may be configured to turn on its RF transceiver tomonitor and receive the control information in every mini-slot or inevery partial time duration. The control information may indicate the UEwhether the downlink data is scheduled in a mini-slot. For example, oneTTI with 14 OFDM symbols may be configured to comprise 4 mini-slots.Each mini-slot may further comprise its control region occupying a shorttime duration and a short frequency span. The control information in themini-slot may be used to indicate whether downlink data is scheduled ina mini-slot.

In some implementations, the UE may be configured to receive an uplinkgrant from the network apparatus. The uplink grant may indicate uplinktransmission resources in a part of the TTI. The UE may be configured totransmit uplink data in the part of the TTI to the network apparatusaccording to the uplink grant. The UE may only use the part of the TTIto transmit the uplink data rather than using whole TTI to transmit theuplink data. The uplink grant may be received before a partial TTI, awhole TTI or a plurality of TTIs in advance the TTI. The time durationof the TTI may comprise 14 OFDM symbols and the part of the TTI isconfigured as a mini-slot with time duration less than 14 OFDM symbols.The time duration of the mini-slot may be predetermined, configured byradio resource control (RRC) layer signaling or indicated by physicallayer signaling or L1 signaling.

In some implementations, the mini-slot transmission may also be appliedto same-slot scheduling. For example, as showed in FIG. 2, the controlinformation in TTI 230 may be used to indicate whether a mini-slot isscheduled in TTI 230. After receiving and decoding the controlinformation in TTI 230, the UE is able to determine that the mini-slotis scheduled in TTI 230. The UE may be configured to turn on its RFtransceiver to receive downlink data 232 in the mini-slot.

In some implementations, the frequency region or frequency span of thePDSCH may be configured to be less than, greater than or identical tothe frequency region or frequency span of the PDCCH. The frequencyregion or frequency span of the PDSCH may be configured to be overlappedor not overlapped with the frequency region or frequency span of thePDCCH. The UE may be configured to turn on the RF transceiver in twofrequency spans to receive the PDSCH and the PDCCH at the same time inan event that the PDSCH and the PDCCH are scheduled in differentfrequency regions or frequency spans.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example scenario 300 under schemes in accordancewith implementations of the present disclosure. Scenario 300 involves aUE and a network apparatus, which may be part of a wireless network(e.g., a LTE network, a LTE-Advanced network, a LTE-Advanced Pronetwork, a 5G network, a new radio network or an Internet of Thingsnetwork). The network apparatus is able to transmit downlink controlinformation and downlink data to the UE. The UE is configured toestablish a first radio carrier (e.g., anchor carrier) and a secondradio carrier (e.g., supplemental carrier) with the network apparatus.The UE may comprise an anchor carrier RF transceiver for receivingsignals on the anchor carrier and a supplemental carrier RF transceiverfor receiving signals on the supplemental carrier. The anchor carrier RFtransceiver and the supplemental carrier RF transceiver may beimplemented in a single RF transceiver or implemented in separate RFtransceivers.

In scenario 300, the network apparatus may schedule first controlinformation in control region 320 in TTI 310. The UE is configured toturn on the anchor carrier RF transceiver to monitor the first controlinformation in the anchor carrier. The first control information may beused to indicate whether downlink information (e.g., downlink controlinformation or downlink data) for the UE is scheduled in thesupplemental carrier. The UE may be configured to determine whether toturn on the supplemental carrier RF transceiver to receive the downlinkinformation in the supplemental carrier according to the first controlinformation. Specifically, the first control information may indicatethat second control information is scheduled in enhanced PDCCH (EPDCCH)332 of the supplemental carrier in TTI 330. After receiving controlregion 320 and decoding the first control information, the UE is able todetermine to turn on the supplemental carrier RF transceiver to receivethe second control information. The second control information mayfurther indicate that downlink data is scheduled in PDSCH 334 of thesupplemental carrier in TTI 330. The UE may further be configured toreceive the downlink data scheduled in TTI 330.

The first control information is cross-TTI scheduled before the secondcontrol information. In some implementations, the first controlinformation may be scheduled before a partial TTI, a whole TTI or aplurality of TTIs in advance the second control information as long asthe first control information can be successfully decoded by the UEbefore the beginning of the second control information. The positions ofcontrol regions may be configured by the network apparatus via higherlayer signaling. The downlink control information may be transmitted ina PDCCH or an enhanced PDCCH. The downlink data may be transmitted in aPDSCH.

In an event that the control information in the anchor carrier indicatethat no downlink information is scheduled in the supplemental carrier,the UE may be configured to turn off the supplemental carrier RFtransceiver to reduce power consumption and save power. For example, thecontrol information in control region 340 in TTI 330 does not indicateany downlink information for TTI 350. After receiving control region 340and decoding the control information, the UE is able to determine thatthere is no downlink information in the supplemental carrier and turnoff the supplemental carrier RF transceiver in TTI 350. Accordingly,since the control information is cross-carrier scheduled, the UE mayonly need to turn on the anchor carrier RF transceiver to monitor thecontrol information in the anchor carrier without turning on thesupplemental carrier RF transceiver for power saving. The UE may onlyturn on the supplemental carrier RF transceiver when necessary (e.g.,when downlink information in the supplemental carrier is indicated inthe anchor carrier).

In some implementations, the bandwidth of the supplemental carrier isgreater than the bandwidth of the anchor carrier. Generally, when a RFtransceiver is configured to receiver a wideband carrier, the powerconsumption of which is greater than receiving a narrowband carrier.Thus, it will reduce power consumption for a UE in an event that the UEmay only monitor a first radio carrier with narrow bandwidth and receivedownlink information via a second radio carrier with wide bandwidth whennecessary. Accordingly, the power consumption of the supplementalcarrier RF transceiver is greater than the power consumption of theanchor carrier RF transceiver. It will reduce power consumption for theUE in an event that the UE may only monitor the anchor carrier andreceive downlink information via the supplemental carrier whennecessary.

In some implementations, the control information in the anchor carriermay directly indicate the downlink data scheduled in the supplementalcarrier. Specifically, as showed in FIG. 3, the control information incontrol region 360 in TTI 350 may indicate that downlink data isscheduled in PDSCH 374 of the supplemental carrier in TTI 370. Thecontrol information in control region 360 may directly indicate thetime-frequency region information of PDSCH 374. After receiving controlregion 360 and decoding the control information, the UE is able todetermine to turn on the supplemental carrier RF transceiver to receivethe downlink data scheduled in TTI 370.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example scenario 400 under schemes in accordancewith implementations of the present disclosure. Scenario 400 involves aUE and a network apparatus, which may be part of a wireless network(e.g., a LTE network, a LTE-Advanced network, a LTE-Advanced Pronetwork, a 5G network, a new radio network or an Internet of Thingsnetwork). The network apparatus is able to transmit downlink controlinformation and downlink data to the UE. The UE is configured toestablish a first radio carrier (e.g., anchor carrier) and a secondradio carrier (e.g., supplemental carrier) with the network apparatus.The UE may comprise an anchor carrier RF transceiver for receivingsignals on the anchor carrier and a supplemental carrier RF transceiverfor receiving signals on the supplemental carrier. The anchor carrier RFtransceiver and the supplemental carrier RF transceiver may beimplemented in a single RF transceiver or implemented in separate RFtransceivers.

In scenario 400, the control information in control region 420 mayfurther indicate the frequency information of the downlink informationin TTI 430. Specifically, the control information in control region 420may indicate the frequency range of EPDCCH 432 and PDSCH 434. Afterreceiving control region 420 and decoding the control information, theUE is able to determine the frequency span of EPDCCH 432 and PDSCH 434.The UE may be configured to turn on the supplemental carrier RFtransceiver solely for a virtual carrier 401 which can cover thefrequency span of EPDCCH 432 and PDSCH 434 rather than turning on thesupplemental carrier RF transceiver for whole supplemental carrier. Thefrequency range of virtual carrier 401 is less than the frequency rangeof the supplemental carrier. For example, the frequency span of thesupplemental carrier may be 100 MHz and the frequency span of virtualcarrier 401 may only be 50 MHz. As aforementioned, it will consume morepower consumption for a RF transceiver to cover wider frequency range.Accordingly, in an event that the UE is able to determine the frequencyrange of the downlink information, the UE may only turn on thesupplemental carrier RF transceiver for a virtual carrier with narrowerfrequency span to reduce power consumption and save power.

Similarly, the control information in the anchor carrier may directlyindicate the downlink data scheduled in the supplemental carrier.Specifically, as showed in FIG. 4, the control information in controlregion 440 in TTI 430 may directly indicate the time-frequency regioninformation of the downlink data scheduled in PDSCH 454 of thesupplemental carrier in TTI 450, 470 and 490. After receiving controlregion 440 and decoding the control information, the UE is able todetermine the time-frequency region of PDSCH 454 and turn on thesupplemental carrier RF transceiver for a virtual carrier 403 to receivethe downlink data scheduled in PDSCH 454. Virtual carrier 403 may bedetermined by the UE to cover the time-frequency range of PDSCH 454.

In some implementations, the UE may be configured to establish theanchor carrier and the supplemental carrier with the same networkapparatus (e.g., base station, cell, eNB or gNB). The UE may also beconfigured to establish the anchor carrier and the supplemental carrierwith different network apparatus. For example, the UE may establish theanchor carrier with a first network apparatus and establish thesupplemental carrier with a second network apparatus. The anchor carrierand the supplemental carrier may be two independent radio carriers ormay be component carriers of carrier aggregation (CA). The anchorcarrier and the supplemental carrier may be intra band radio carriers ormay be inter band radio carriers. The implementations of the anchorcarrier and the supplemental carrier may be varied depends on practicalapplications.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example scenario 500 under schemes in accordancewith implementations of the present disclosure. Scenario 500 involves aUE and a network apparatus, which may be part of a wireless network(e.g., a LTE network, a LTE-Advanced network, a LTE-Advanced Pronetwork, a 5G network, a new radio network or an Internet of Thingsnetwork). The network apparatus is able to transmit downlink controlinformation and downlink data to the UE. The UE is configured toestablish a radio carrier (e.g., anchor carrier) with the networkapparatus. The UE may comprise an anchor carrier RF transceiver forreceiving signals on the anchor carrier.

In scenario 500, the UE may be configured to monitor control informationin first sub-frequency band 501 of the anchor carrier and determinewhether to adjust the anchor carrier RF transceiver according to thecontrol information. Specifically, the UE may be configured to onlymonitor a small portion of the control information such as, for exampleand without limitation, paging messages, reference signals or systeminformation block (SIB). The network apparatus may be configured toschedule the small portion of the control information in a smallfrequency band (e.g., 200 kHz). Thus, the UE may be configured to onlyturn on the anchor carrier RF transceiver for the receiving bandwidth ofthe first sub-frequency band 501 in a power saving mode. Asaforementioned, it will consume more power consumption for a RFtransceiver to cover wider frequency range. Accordingly, in an eventthat the UE only need to monitor a small portion of the downlinkinformation, the UE may only turn on the anchor carrier RF transceiverfor a sub-frequency band with narrower frequency span to reduce powerconsumption and save power.

In some implementations, the control information in first sub-frequencyband 501 may carry a control channel indication (e.g., enhanced PDCCHindication) for indicating the UE to perform a corresponding action(e.g., frequency hopping, switching to a normal mode or reportingchannel quality information). The enhanced PDCCH indication may indicatethe UE to perform frequency hopping for changing the sub-frequency band.For example, when the channel quality of first sub-frequency band 501 isless than a predetermined value, the network apparatus may use theenhanced PDCCH indication to indicate the UE to change the sub-frequencyband. After receiving the enhanced PDCCH indication, the UE may beconfigured to adjust the anchor carrier RF transceiver from firstsub-frequency band 501 to second sub-frequency band 503.

In some implementations, the enhanced PDCCH indication may indicate theUE to report channel quality indicator (001) for estimating the channelquality of current sub-frequency band. After receiving the enhancedPDCCH indication, the UE may be configured to perform signalmeasurements and perform CQI report.

In some implementations, the enhanced PDCCH indication may indicate theUE to switch from a power saving mode to a normal mode. In the normalmode, the UE may be configured to monitor whole frequency band of theanchor carrier rather than monitoring a sub-frequency band of the anchorcarrier. After receiving the enhanced PDCCH indication, the UE may beconfigured to adjust the anchor carrier RF transceiver to cover fullbandwidth of the anchor carrier.

In some implementations, the UE may comprise a first processor (e.g., alittle core) and a second processor (e.g., a big core). The computingcapability of the little core may be configured as machine typecommunication (MTC) or IoT compatible. When the UE is operated in apower saving mode (e.g., MTC/IoT-like mode), the UE may be configured toonly enable the little core to reduce power consumption. When the UE isoperated in a normal mode, the UE may be configured to enable the bigcore for better performance. For example, the UE may only enable thelittle core when monitoring the sub-frequency band of the anchor carrierand enable the big core when monitoring the full bandwidth of the anchorcarrier. The little core and the big core may be implemented in a singleprocessor or may be implemented as two independent processors.

In some implementations, one TTI may be configured as a transmissionslot with 7 symbols or 14 symbols. One TTI may also be configured as amini-slot which may comprise symbols less than 7 symbols (e.g., 1 to 6symbols). One TTI may further be configured as a transmission sub-framewith 1 millisecond. The symbol number, sub-carrier spacing (SCS) betweensymbols or time duration of one TTI may be configured or defined bynetwork side depends on the practical applications. Implementations inaccordance with the present disclosure can be applied to anyconfiguration of TTI as illustrated above.

Illustrative Implementations

FIG. 6 illustrates an example communication apparatus 610 and an examplenetwork apparatus 620 in accordance with an implementation of thepresent disclosure. Each of communication apparatus 610 and networkapparatus 620 may perform various functions to implement schemes,techniques, processes and methods described herein pertaining to powerconsumption reduction with respect to user equipment in wirelesscommunications, including scenarios 100, 200, 300, 400 and 500 describedabove as well as processes 700, 800 and 900 described below.

Communication apparatus 610 may be a part of an electronic apparatus,which may be a user equipment (UE) such as a portable or mobileapparatus, a wearable apparatus, a wireless communication apparatus or acomputing apparatus. For instance, communication apparatus 610 may beimplemented in a smartphone, a smartwatch, a personal digital assistant,a digital camera, or a computing equipment such as a tablet computer, alaptop computer or a notebook computer. Communication apparatus 610 mayalso be a part of a machine type apparatus, which may be an IoTapparatus such as an immobile or a stationary apparatus, a homeapparatus, a wire communication apparatus or a computing apparatus. Forinstance, communication apparatus 610 may be implemented in a smartthermostat, a smart fridge, a smart door lock, a wireless speaker or ahome control center. Alternatively, communication apparatus 610 may beimplemented in the form of one or more integrated-circuit (IC) chipssuch as, for example and without limitation, one or more single-coreprocessors, one or more multi-core processors, or one or morecomplex-instruction-set-computing (CISC) processors. Communicationapparatus 610 may include at least some of those components shown inFIG. 6 such as a processor 612, for example. communication apparatus 610may further include one or more other components not pertinent to theproposed scheme of the present disclosure (e.g., internal power supply,display device and/or user interface device), and, thus, suchcomponent(s) of communication apparatus 610 are neither shown in FIG. 6nor described below in the interest of simplicity and brevity.

Network apparatus 620 may be a part of an electronic apparatus, whichmay be a network node such as a base station, a small cell, a router ora gateway. For instance, network apparatus 620 may be implemented in aneNodeB in a LTE, LTE-Advanced or LTE-Advanced Pro network or in a gNB ina 5G, NR or IoT network. Alternatively, network apparatus 620 may beimplemented in the form of one or more IC chips such as, for example andwithout limitation, one or more single-core processors, one or moremulti-core processors, or one or more CISC processors. Network apparatus620 may include at least some of those components shown in FIG. 6 suchas a processor 622, for example. Network apparatus 620 may furtherinclude one or more other components not pertinent to the proposedscheme of the present disclosure (e.g., internal power supply, displaydevice and/or user interface device), and, thus, such component(s) ofnetwork apparatus 620 are neither shown in FIG. 6 nor described below inthe interest of simplicity and brevity.

In one aspect, each of processor 612 and processor 622 may beimplemented in the form of one or more single-core processors, one ormore multi-core processors, or one or more CISC processors. That is,even though a singular term “a processor” is used herein to refer toprocessor 612 and processor 622, each of processor 612 and processor 622may include multiple processors in some implementations and a singleprocessor in other implementations in accordance with the presentdisclosure. In another aspect, each of processor 612 and processor 622may be implemented in the form of hardware (and, optionally, firmware)with electronic components including, for example and withoutlimitation, one or more transistors, one or more diodes, one or morecapacitors, one or more resistors, one or more inductors, one or morememristors and/or one or more varactors that are configured and arrangedto achieve specific purposes in accordance with the present disclosure.In other words, in at least some implementations, each of processor 612and processor 622 is a special-purpose machine specifically designed,arranged and configured to perform specific tasks including powerconsumption reduction in a device (e.g., as represented by communicationapparatus 610) and a network (e.g., as represented by network apparatus620) in accordance with various implementations of the presentdisclosure.

In some implementations, communication apparatus 610 may also include atransceiver 616 coupled to processor 612 and capable of wirelesslytransmitting and receiving data. In some implementations, communicationapparatus 610 may further include a memory 614 coupled to processor 612and capable of being accessed by processor 612 and storing data therein.In some implementations, network apparatus 620 may also include atransceiver 626 coupled to processor 622 and capable of wirelesslytransmitting and receiving data. In some implementations, networkapparatus 620 may further include a memory 624 coupled to processor 622and capable of being accessed by processor 622 and storing data therein.Accordingly, communication apparatus 610 and network apparatus 620 maywirelessly communicate with each other via transceiver 616 andtransceiver 626, respectively. To aid better understanding, thefollowing description of the operations, functionalities andcapabilities of each of communication apparatus 610 and networkapparatus 620 is provided in the context of a mobile communicationenvironment in which communication apparatus 610 is implemented in or asa communication apparatus or a UE and network apparatus 620 isimplemented in or as a network node of a communication network.

In some implementations, processor 612 may be configured to receive, viatransceiver 616, downlink control information and downlink datatransmitted from network apparatus 620. The downlink control informationmay be scheduled in a transmission time interval (TTI). A TTI is ascheduling unit of a communication network which may be, for example andwithout limitation, a transmission sub-frame in a LTE network or atransmission slot in a 5G network. Processor 612 may be configured toreceive and decode the downlink control information to determine whetherthere will be downlink data scheduled for communication apparatus 610.

In some implementations, processor 612 may be configured to turn ontransceiver 616 to receiver first downlink control information in afirst TTI and decode the first downlink control information to determinewhether there will be downlink data scheduled in a second TTI. The firstdownlink control information in the first TTI is used to indicatewhether downlink data for communication apparatus 610 is scheduled inthe second TTI. In an event that the first downlink control informationindicates that the downlink data is scheduled in the second TTI,processor 612 may be configured to turn on transceiver 616 to receiverthe downlink data in the second TTI. In an event that the first downlinkcontrol information indicates that no downlink data is scheduled in thesecond TTI, processor 612 may be configured to turn off transceiver 616in the second TTI to reduce power consumption and save power. It shouldbe noted that, processor 612 may only turn off transceiver 616 in thedata regions of second TTI in an event that processor 612 determinesthat there is no downlink data scheduled in the second TTI, processor612 may still need to turn on transceiver 616 to receive control regionin the second TTI.

The control information for a specific TTI is cross-TTI scheduled beforethe specific TTI. In some implementations, the control information for aspecific TTI may be scheduled before a partial TTI, a whole TTI or aplurality of TTIs in advance the specific TTI as long as the controlinformation for the specific TTI can be successfully decoded byprocessor 612 of communication apparatus 610 before the beginning of thespecific TTI. How early or how many TTIs for the control informationshould be cross-TTI scheduled in advance may be configured by higherlayer signaling (e.g., radio resource control (RRC) message) or byphysical layer signaling (e.g., downlink control indicator (DCI)). Thepositions of control regions may be configured by network apparatus 620via higher layer signaling. For example, the control region may beconfigured at beginning of every TTI or at middle of every TTI. Thedownlink control information may be transmitted in a physical downlinkcontrol channel (PDCCH) or an enhanced PDCCH. The downlink data may betransmitted in a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).

In some implementations, the first control information in the first TTImay indicate that downlink data is scheduled in the second TTI. Afterreceiving and decoding the first control information, processor 612 isable to determine the time-frequency region of the downlink data in thesecond TTI. Processor 612 may be configured to turn on transceiver 616in the determined time-frequency region within the second TTI to receivethe downlink data and turn off transceiver 616 in the rest time toreduce power consumption and save power. Processor 612 may also beconfigured to turn on transceiver 616 in two frequency spans to receivethe PDSCH and the PDCCH at the same time in an event that the PDSCH andthe PDCCH are scheduled in different frequency regions or frequencyspans.

In some implementations, the downlink data may only be scheduled in apart of a TTI (i.e., in part of the data region). For example, the partof the TTI may be configured as a mini-slot with only 1 OFDM symbol. Thedownlink data may be scheduled within 1 OFDM symbol and may be spread ina wide range of frequency span. The wide range of frequency span maycomprise a plurality of sub-carriers. Accordingly, processor 612 mayonly turn on transceiver 616 in the time duration of 1 OFDM symbol andturn off transceiver 616 in the rest or a remaining part of the TTIwithout the downlink data to reduce power consumption.

In some implementations, the time duration of the mini-slot may bepredetermined or pre-configured at communication apparatus 610 andnetwork apparatus 620. Alternatively, processor 612 may be configured toreceive the configuration of the time duration of the mini-slot fromnetwork apparatus 620 via higher layer signaling (e.g., RRC message orbroadcast message) or physical layer signaling (e.g., PDCCH indication).The time duration of the mini-slot may be configured to comprise morethan 1 OFDM symbol and less than 14 OFDM symbols such as, for exampleand without limitation, 2 to 13 OFDM symbols.

In some implementations, processor 612 may be configured to turn ontransceiver 616 to monitor and receive the control information in everyTTI. The control information may indicate communication apparatus 610whether the downlink data is scheduled in a part of a TTI. In otherimplementations, each mini-slot or each partial time duration mayfurther comprise its own control region. Processor 612 may be configuredto turn on transceiver 616 to monitor and receive the controlinformation in every mini-slot or in every partial time duration. Thecontrol information may indicate communication apparatus 610 whether thedownlink data is scheduled in a mini-slot.

In some implementations, processor 612 may be configured to receive anuplink grant from network apparatus 620. The uplink grant may indicateuplink transmission resources in a part of the TTI. Processor 612 may beconfigured to transmit uplink data in the part of the TTI to networkapparatus 620 according to the uplink grant. Processor 612 may only usethe part of the TTI to transmit the uplink data rather than using wholeTTI to transmit the uplink data.

In some implementations, the mini-slot transmission may also be appliedto same-slot scheduling. After receiving and decoding the controlinformation in a TTI, processor 612 is able to determine whether themini-slot is scheduled in the same TTI. Processor 612 may be configuredto determine whether to turn on transceiver 616 to receive the mini-slotin the same TTI.

In some implementations, processor 622 may be configured to transmitcontrol information to communication apparatus 610 and schedule thedownlink data by time division multiple access (TDMA) resourceallocation. Processor 622 may be configured to schedule downlink data ina part of a TTI to communication apparatus 610. The control informationis used to indicate whether the downlink data is scheduled in the TTI.Processor 622 may configure the part of the TTI as a mini-slot with timeduration less than 14 OFDM symbols. Processor 622 may configure timeduration of the mini-slot to communication apparatus 610 via higherlayer signaling or indicate time duration of the mini-slot tocommunication apparatus 610 via physical layer signaling. Processor 622may be configured to transmit control information in every TTI or inevery mini-slot. Processor 622 may be configured not to schedule thedownlink data in rest or a remaining part of the TTI. Processor 622 mayfurther be configured to transmit uplink grant to communicationapparatus 610. The uplink grant may indicate uplink transmissionresources in the part of the TTI.

In some implementations, processor 612 may be configured to establish,via transceiver 616, a first radio carrier (e.g., anchor carrier) and asecond radio carrier (e.g., supplemental carrier) with network apparatus620. Transceiver 616 may further comprise an anchor carrier RFtransceiver for receiving signals on the anchor carrier and asupplemental carrier RF transceiver for receiving signals on thesupplemental carrier. The anchor carrier RF transceiver and thesupplemental carrier RF transceiver may be implemented in a single RFtransceiver or implemented in separate RF transceivers.

In some implementations, processor 612 may be configured to turn on theanchor carrier RF transceiver to monitor first control information inthe anchor carrier. The first control information may be used toindicate whether downlink information (e.g., downlink controlinformation or downlink data) for communication apparatus 610 isscheduled in the supplemental carrier. Processor 612 may be configuredto determine whether to turn on the supplemental carrier RF transceiverto receive the downlink information in the supplemental carrieraccording to the first control information. Specifically, the firstcontrol information may indicate that second control information isscheduled in enhanced PDCCH (EPDCCH) of the supplemental carrier in thesecond TTI. After receiving and decoding the first control information,processor 612 is able to determine to turn on the supplemental carrierRF transceiver to receive the second control information. The secondcontrol information may further indicate that downlink data is scheduledin PDSCH of the supplemental carrier in the second TTI. Processor 612may further be configured to receive the downlink data scheduled in thesecond TTI.

In an event that the control information in the anchor carrier indicatethat no downlink information is scheduled in the supplemental carrier,processor 612 may be configured to turn off the supplemental carrier RFtransceiver to reduce power consumption and save power. Accordingly,since the control information is cross-carrier scheduled, processor 612may only need to turn on the anchor carrier RF transceiver to monitorthe control information in the anchor carrier without turning on thesupplemental carrier RF transceiver for power saving. Processor 612 mayonly turn on the supplemental carrier RF transceiver when necessary(e.g., when downlink information in the supplemental carrier isindicated in the anchor carrier).

In some implementations, the control information in the anchor carriermay directly indicate the downlink data scheduled in the supplementalcarrier. Specifically, the control information in a first TTI mayindicate that downlink data is scheduled in PDSCH of the supplementalcarrier in a second TTI. The control information may directly indicatethe time-frequency region information of PDSCH. After receiving anddecoding the control information, processor 612 is able to determine toturn on the supplemental carrier RF transceiver to receive the downlinkdata scheduled in the second TTI.

In some implementations, the control information in a first TTI mayfurther indicate the frequency information of the downlink informationin the second TTI. Specifically, the control information in the firstTTI may indicate the frequency range of EPDCCH and PDSCH scheduled inthe second TTI. After receiving decoding the control information,processor 612 is able to determine the frequency span of the EPDCCH andthe PDSCH in the second TTI. Processor 612 may be configured to turn onthe supplemental carrier RF transceiver only for a virtual carrier whichcan cover the frequency span of the EPDCCH and the PDSCH rather thanturning on the supplemental carrier RF transceiver for wholesupplemental carrier. The frequency range of the virtual carrier is lessthan the frequency range of the supplemental carrier. Accordingly, in anevent that processor 612 is able to determine the frequency range of thedownlink information, processor 612 may only turn on the supplementalcarrier RF transceiver for a virtual carrier with narrower frequencyspan to reduce power consumption and save power.

In some implementations, communication apparatus 610 may be configuredto establish the anchor carrier and the supplemental carrier with thesame network apparatus. Communication apparatus 610 may also beconfigured to establish the anchor carrier and the supplemental carrierwith different network apparatus. For example, communication apparatus610 may establish the anchor carrier with a first network apparatus andestablish the supplemental carrier with a second network apparatus. Theanchor carrier and the supplemental carrier may be two independent radiocarriers or may be component carriers of carrier aggregation (CA). Theanchor carrier and the supplemental carrier may be intra band radiocarriers or may be inter band radio carriers.

In some implementations, processor 612 may be configured to monitorcontrol information in a first sub-frequency band of the anchor carrierand determine whether to adjust the anchor carrier RF transceiveraccording to the control information. Specifically, processor 612 may beconfigured to only monitor a small portion of the control informationsuch as, for example and without limitation, paging messages, referencesignals or system information block (SIB). Network apparatus 620 may beconfigured to schedule the small portion of the control information in asmall frequency band (e.g., 200 kHz). Thus, processor 612 may beconfigured to only turn on the anchor carrier RF transceiver for thereceiving bandwidth of the first sub-frequency band in a power savingmode.

In some implementations, the control information in the firstsub-frequency band may carry a control channel indication (e.g.,enhanced PDCCH indication) for indicating the UE to perform acorresponding action (e.g., frequency hopping, switching to a normalmode or reporting channel quality information). The enhanced PDCCHindication may indicate communication apparatus 610 to perform frequencyhopping for changing the sub-frequency band. For example, when thechannel quality of the first sub-frequency band is less than apredetermined value, network apparatus 620 may use the enhanced PDCCHindication to indicate communication apparatus 610 to change thesub-frequency band. After receiving the enhanced PDCCH indication,processor 612 may be configured to adjust the anchor carrier RFtransceiver from the first sub-frequency band to a second sub-frequencyband.

In some implementations, the enhanced PDCCH indication may indicatecommunication apparatus 610 to report channel quality indicator (001)for estimating the channel quality of current sub-frequency band. Afterreceiving the enhanced PDCCH indication, processor 612 may be configuredto perform signal measurements and perform CQI report.

In some implementations, the enhanced PDCCH indication may indicatecommunication apparatus 610 to switch from a power saving mode to anormal mode. In the normal mode, processor 612 may be configured tomonitor whole frequency band of the anchor carrier rather thanmonitoring a sub-frequency band of the anchor carrier. After receivingthe enhanced PDCCH indication, processor 612 may be configured to adjustthe anchor carrier RF transceiver to cover full bandwidth of the anchorcarrier.

In some implementations, processor 612 may further comprise a firstprocessor (e.g., a little core) and a second processor (e.g., a bigcore). The computing capability of the little core may be configured asmachine type communication (MTC) or IoT compatible. When communicationapparatus 610 is operated in a power saving mode (e.g., MTC/loT-likemode), communication apparatus 610 may be configured to only enable thelittle core to reduce power consumption. When communication apparatus610 is operated in a normal mode, communication apparatus 610 may beconfigured to enable the big core for better performance. For example,communication apparatus 610 may only enable the little core whenmonitoring the sub-frequency band of the anchor carrier and enable thebig core when monitoring the full bandwidth of the anchor carrier. Thelittle core and the big core may be implemented in a single processor ormay be implemented as two independent processors.

Illustrative Processes

FIG. 7 illustrates an example process 700 in accordance with animplementation of the present disclosure. Process 700 may be an exampleimplementation of scenarios 100 and 200, whether partially orcompletely, with respect to power consumption reduction in accordancewith the present disclosure. Process 700 may represent an aspect ofimplementation of features of communication apparatus 610. Process 700may include one or more operations, actions, or functions as illustratedby one or more of blocks 710, 720, 730 and 740. Although illustrated asdiscrete blocks, various blocks of process 700 may be divided intoadditional blocks, combined into fewer blocks, or eliminated, dependingon the desired implementation. Moreover, the blocks of process 700 mayexecuted in the order shown in FIG. 7 or, alternatively, in a differentorder. Process 700 may be implemented by communication apparatus 610 orany suitable UE or machine type devices. Solely for illustrativepurposes and without limitation, process 700 is described below in thecontext of communication apparatus 610. Process 700 may begin at block710.

At 710, process 700 may involve communication apparatus 610 receivingcontrol information from a network apparatus. Process 700 may proceedfrom 710 to 720.

At 720, process 700 may involve communication apparatus 610 determiningwhether the control information indicate that downlink data is scheduledin a transmission time interval (TTI). If yes, process 700 may proceedfrom 720 to 730. If no, process 700 may proceed from 720 to 740.

At 730, process 700 may involve communication apparatus 610 turning onRF transceiver in a part of the TTI to receive the downlink data in anevent that the control information indicate that downlink data isscheduled in the TTI.

At 740, process 700 may involve communication apparatus 610 turning offRF transceiver in the TTI in an event that the control informationindicate that no downlink data is scheduled in the TTI.

In some implementations, time duration of the TTI may comprise 14orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols and the partof the TTI may be configured as a mini-slot with time duration less than14 OFDM symbols. The time duration of the mini-slot may bepredetermined, configured by higher layer signaling or indicated byphysical layer signaling.

In some implementations, process 700 may involve communication apparatus610 turning on the RF transceiver to receive the control information inevery TTI or in every mini-slot.

In some implementations, the control information may be received beforea partial TTI, a whole TTI or a plurality of TTIs in advance the TTI.The TTI may be a transmission slot or a transmission sub-frame. Thedownlink data is scheduled in time division multiple access (TDMA)resource allocation.

In some implementations, process 700 may involve communication apparatus610 turning off the RF transceiver in rest or a remaining part of theTTI without the downlink data to reduce power consumption. Process 700may further involve communication apparatus 610 receiving an uplinkgrant from the network apparatus and transmitting uplink data in thepart of the TTI to the network apparatus.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example process 800 in accordance with animplementation of the present disclosure. Process 800 may be an exampleimplementation of scenarios 100 and 200, whether partially orcompletely, with respect to aperiodic reference signal handling inaccordance with the present disclosure. Process 800 may represent anaspect of implementation of features of network apparatus 620. Process800 may include one or more operations, actions, or functions asillustrated by one or more of blocks 810 and 820. Although illustratedas discrete blocks, various blocks of process 800 may be divided intoadditional blocks, combined into fewer blocks, or eliminated, dependingon the desired implementation. Moreover, the blocks of process 800 mayexecuted in the order shown in FIG. 8 or, alternatively, in a differentorder. Process 800 may be implemented by network apparatus 620 or anysuitable network node. Solely for illustrative purposes and withoutlimitation, process 800 is described below in the context of networkapparatus 620. Process 800 may begin at block 810.

At 810, process 800 may involve network apparatus 620 transmittingcontrol information to a user equipment (UE). Process 800 may proceedfrom 810 to 820.

At 820, process 800 may involve network apparatus 620 schedulingdownlink data in a part of a transmission time interval (TTI) to the UE.The control information may indicate that the downlink data is scheduledin the TTI.

In some implementations, time duration of the TTI may comprise 14orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols. Process 800may involve network apparatus 620 configuring the part of the TTI as amini-slot with time duration less than 14 OFDM symbols.

In some implementations, process 800 may involve network apparatus 620configuring time duration of the mini-slot to the UE via higher layersignaling or indicating time duration of the mini-slot to the UE viaphysical layer signaling.

In some implementations, process 800 may involve network apparatus 620transmitting the control information in every TTI or in every mini-slot.

In some implementations, the control information may be transmittedbefore a partial TTI, a whole TTI or a plurality of TTIs in advance theTTI. The TTI may be a transmission slot or a transmission sub-frame.Process 800 may involve network apparatus 620 scheduling the downlinkdata by time division multiple access (TDMA) resource allocation.

In some implementations, process 800 may involve network apparatus 620not scheduling the downlink data in rest or a remaining part of the TTI.

In some implementations, process 800 may involve network apparatus 620transmitting uplink grant to the UE. The uplink grant may indicateuplink transmission resources in the part of the TTI but not in anyother time interval.

Additional Notes

The herein-described subject matter sometimes illustrates differentcomponents contained within, or connected with, different othercomponents. It is to be understood that such depicted architectures aremerely examples, and that in fact many other architectures can beimplemented which achieve the same functionality. In a conceptual sense,any arrangement of components to achieve the same functionality iseffectively “associated” such that the desired functionality isachieved. Hence, any two components herein combined to achieve aparticular functionality can be seen as “associated with” each othersuch that the desired functionality is achieved, irrespective ofarchitectures or intermedial components. Likewise, any two components soassociated can also be viewed as being “operably connected”, or“operably coupled”, to each other to achieve the desired functionality,and any two components capable of being so associated can also be viewedas being “operably couplable”, to each other to achieve the desiredfunctionality. Specific examples of operably couplable include but arenot limited to physically mateable and/or physically interactingcomponents and/or wirelessly interactable and/or wirelessly interactingcomponents and/or logically interacting and/or logically interactablecomponents.

Further, with respect to the use of substantially any plural and/orsingular terms herein, those having skill in the art can translate fromthe plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as isappropriate to the context and/or application. The varioussingular/plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for sakeof clarity.

Moreover, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that, ingeneral, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims, e.g.,bodies of the appended claims, are generally intended as “open” terms,e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but notlimited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having atleast,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but isnot limited to,” etc. It will be further understood by those within theart that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation isintended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and inthe absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example,as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may containusage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” tointroduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should notbe construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by theindefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containingsuch introduced claim recitation to implementations containing only onesuch recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductoryphrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as“a” or “an,” e.g., “a” and/or “an” should be interpreted to mean “atleast one” or “one or more;” the same holds true for the use of definitearticles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if aspecific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited,those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should beinterpreted to mean at least the recited number, e.g., the barerecitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, means at leasttwo recitations, or two or more recitations. Furthermore, in thoseinstances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, and C,etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the senseone having skill in the art would understand the convention, e.g., “asystem having at least one of A, B, and C” would include but not belimited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and Btogether, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and Ctogether, etc. In those instances where a convention analogous to “atleast one of A, B, or C, etc.” is used, in general such a constructionis intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understandthe convention, e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, or C” wouldinclude but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, Calone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A,B, and C together, etc. It will be further understood by those withinthe art that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting twoor more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, ordrawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities ofincluding one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. Forexample, the phrase “A or B” will be understood to include thepossibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B.”

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that various implementationsof the present disclosure have been described herein for purposes ofillustration, and that various modifications may be made withoutdeparting from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure.Accordingly, the various implementations disclosed herein are notintended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicatedby the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method, comprising: receiving, by a processorof an apparatus, control information from a network apparatus; andreceiving, by the processor, downlink data in an event that the controlinformation indicates that the downlink data is scheduled in atransmission time interval (TTI), wherein the downlink data is scheduledin a part of the TTI but not in other time interval.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, wherein a time duration of the TTI comprises 14 orthogonalfrequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols, and wherein the part ofthe TTI is configured as a mini-slot with a time duration of less than14 OFDM symbols.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the time duration ofthe mini-slot is predetermined, configured by radio resource control(RRC) layer signaling or indicated by physical layer signaling or L1signaling.
 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: turning on, bythe processor, a radio frequency (RF) transceiver of the apparatus toreceive the control information in every TTI.
 5. The method of claim 1,further comprising: turning on, by the processor, a radio frequency (RF)transceiver of the apparatus to receive the control information in everymini-slot.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the control information isreceived before a partial TTI, a whole TTI or a plurality of TTIs inadvance the TTI.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the downlink data isscheduled in time division multiple access (TDMA) resource allocation.8. The method of claim 1, further comprising: turning off, by theprocessor, a radio frequency (RF) transceiver of the apparatus in aremaining part of the TTI without the downlink data such that powerconsumption is reduced.
 9. A method, comprising: receiving, by aprocessor of an apparatus, an uplink grant from a network apparatus; andtransmitting, by the processor, uplink data in a part of a transmissiontime interval (TTI) to the network apparatus.
 10. The method of claim 9,wherein a time duration of the TTI comprises 14 orthogonalfrequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols, wherein the part of theTTI is configured as a mini-slot with a time duration of less than 14OFDM symbols, and wherein the time duration of the mini-slot ispredetermined, configured by radio resource control (RRC) layersignaling or indicated by physical layer signaling or L1 signaling. 11.The method of claim 9, wherein the uplink grant is received before apartial TTI, a whole TTI or a plurality of TTIs in advance the TTI. 12.A method, comprising: transmitting, by a processor of a networkapparatus, control information to a user equipment (UE); and scheduling,by the processor, downlink data in a part of a transmission timeinterval (TTI) to the UE, wherein the control information indicates thatthe downlink data is scheduled in the TTI.
 13. The method of claim 12,wherein a time duration of the TTI comprises 14 orthogonalfrequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols, and wherein theprocessor configures the part of the TTI as a mini-slot with a timeduration of less than 14 OFDM symbols.
 14. The method of claim 13,further comprising: performing either of: configuring, by the processor,the time duration of the mini-slot to the UE via radio resource control(RRC) layer signaling; or indicating, by the processor, the timeduration of the mini-slot to the UE via physical layer signaling or L1signaling.
 15. The method of claim 12, further comprising: transmitting,by the processor, the control information in every TTI.
 16. The methodof claim 12, further comprising: transmitting, by the processor, thecontrol information in every mini-slot.
 17. The method of claim 12,wherein the control information is transmitted before a partial TTI, awhole TTI or a plurality of TTIs in advance the TTI.
 18. The method ofclaim 12, further comprising: scheduling, by the processor, the downlinkdata by time division multiple access (TDMA) resource allocation. 19.The method of claim 12, wherein the processor does not schedule thedownlink data in a remaining part of the TTI.
 20. The method of claim12, further comprising: transmitting, by the processor, uplink grant tothe UE, wherein the uplink grant indicates uplink transmission resourcesin the part of the TTI but not in other time interval.